Moon: Europa

This moon of Jupiter was the focal point of numerous pre-colonial missions. The high levels of radiation at the surface delayed manned missions and colonization until a series of robotic pioneer missions successfully established radiation-free bases giving humans access to permanent habitation of this moon.

A joint mission by NASA and the ESA brought a science team here for a six-month research mission that established the feasibility of long term habitation on the moon. It was subsequently followed by other missions that lasted longer and longer until people became assigned here for multi-year contracts. Many of them never went back to Earth and continued their lives here.

Life on Europa is regimented and sterile, akin to living on board an orbital. Most of the residents of this world live in self-sufficient communities located throughout the subsurface ocean. There are a handful of communities located on the surface of Europa nestled inside of the craters. Monument City is the largest city on Europa and is home to almost 100,000 people.

Most of the operations and communities on Europa are owned and operated by various corporations. The remaining locations are governed by the European Union, Japan, China and the United States.

Ice mining, sea farming, and mineral conversion are the largest components of Europa’s economy. There are a number of mass driver sites that propel products from the surface to low orbit for recovery by a fleet of retriever vessels.

Although the ice from Europa plays an important role in supporting the Jovian lunar colonies, there are strict restrictions to how much can be removed per year.

Travel on the surface is conducted by v-lift transport. The highly active tectonic surface prevented the construction of surface based road ways, and off road transit is very hazardous.

Travel in the subsurface ocean is conducted primarily by submersibles. There are also a number of communities that are linked by subsurface travel tubes that were created by dormant underwater volcanoes.

The only organized security on Europa is that provided by the corporations. There are a few law enforcement organizations that provide civil protections and a legal system that maintain the basic protections of maritime law.